Folding machine



March 8, I938. a. LAUTZENHEISER FOLDING MACHINE Filed Jan. 31, 1936 5*Sheets-Sheet 1 1 & M? M; ?M V m mA M n .A Q Z L 8 Q m e March 8; 1938. cs. LAUTZENHEISER FOLDING MACHINE Filed Jan. 31, 1936 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 INVENTOR. 62::238 lmt mhbw Wadi A TTORNEYS.

Patented Mar. 8, 1938 FOLDING MACHINE George Lautzenheiser, Bluflton, Ind.. asslgnor to Amos Neuhauser, Bluffton, Ind;

Application January 31, 1936, Serial No. 81,791 V 4 Claims. The invention relates to folding machines and it is particularly directed to machines for folding paper boxes.

In the manufacture of paper board boxes of the folding type, the box blank is usually formed on a die which scores the sheet to define the side wall and corner sections. To set up the box it is necessary to first break down or weaken the score lines by folding the wall sections onto the bottom forming section of the blank. In some boxes the corner sections connect adjacent wall sections and each corner section is diagonally scored between the score lines that are common to it and to the adjacent wall sections, so that the corner section may collapse against one wall section when the box is set up.

Heretofore, in the preliminary folding operation to break down the scorings, each corner section is folded onto a wall section as the adjacent wall section is folded onto the bottom section. This only breaks down one score line of the corner section. It is necessary to fold the wall sectionhaving the corner sections thereof folded onto the bottom section and onto the opposite wall sections previously folded thereon. This operation breaks down the scoring between the corner sections and the latter sections but it does not weaken the diagonal scorings.

This weakening or breaking down of the scorings is generally done by the manufacturer and the blank when received by the customer will have two opposite walls folded onto the bottom with the corner sections folded onto the other wall sections and if the latter wall sections carry locking flaps, these flaps will be folded onto the folded corner sections. Unless all the scorings of the corner sections are previously broken down the corner sections will not readily collapse when the customer sets up the box by rocking the wall sections upwardly that have the corner sections folded thereon.

The object of my invention is to provide a machine that will accomplish the breaking down or weakening of the scorings which define the wall sections of a folding box blank and the scorings of the comer sections that connect adjacent wall sections of the blank and also other selected scorings thereof and thereby avoid all hand folding of the parts to accomplish the weakening of scorings.

The invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings in which Figure 1 is a front elevation of the machine.

Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the machine.

Fig. 3 is a plan view of the main frame or table.

Fig. 4 is a cross section on line 4-4 of Fig. 3.

5-5 of F18. 2.

Fig. 6 is a cross section on line 6-6 of Fig. 5.

Fig. 7 is a side elevation of one of the corner elevating members. i I

Fig. 8 is a plan view of a box blank.

Fig. 9 is a fractional plan view of the table illustrating a box blank in position to be operated-on.

Fig. 10 is a fractional plan view of the feed table illustrating the box in initially folded condition.

Fig. 11 is a cross section. on line |i-l| of Fig. 10; illustrating the finger raising a corner section of a box blank.

Fig. 12 is a plan view of the flap folding member.

Fig. 13 is a plan view of a modified and simplified form of the die and Fig. 14 is a cross section on line [4-H of Fig. 13.

In the drawings the machine is designed primarily to fold boxes of the type shown in Fig. 8, in which the blank is scored toform the bottom (or top) I, the side sections 2, the end sections 3 and the corner sections 4. Each corner section has a diagonal scoring 5. On each end section there is a flap 6 having a locking flap 1 thereon and defined by the scoring 8 and the locking flaps 9 at the oppositeends of said flap 6, defined by the scorings Hi. All of the scorings except 8 and I0 may be broken down or weakened by the illusd trative machine,- which folds the blank into the condition shown in Fig. 12.

The machine in general consists of the main frame 20 having a top or table 2!. A frame 22 is mounted on'the top at one side thereof and supports the shafts 23 and 24. A pulley. 25 is loosely mounted on the shaft 23 and. a clutch 26 is adapted to connect the pulley to said shaft. The pedal 21 mounted on a rock shaft 28 is operatively connected to the clutch by the rod 28'. A belt 29 connects the pulley 25 to the drive pulley 30, mounted on the shaft 24. A pulley 3| drives the shaft 26 and is itself driven by the belt 32 which is driven by an electric motor 33 or other source of power.

A crank disc 34 is secured to the shaft, 23 and a crank arm 35 is connected to the disc and to a collar 36 attached to aplunger rod 31 thatis longitudinally slidable in thebearings 38 formed on the frame 22; A plunger 39 is attached to the lower end of the rod 31 and approximates in outline the interior of the box to be operated on. It is evident that by depressing the pedal 21 the plunger 39 is caused to reciprocate vertically.

An opening MI (Fig. 3) is formed in the top or Fig. 5 is a cross section in enlarged scale on line M hhhh A I as H. k omu wm mm .mmmmmmmm mm I i w W mt t w r mm c e v m M, o m m m 5 u aim m. A. m m h 1 m wmmfi m ew i mm W m m mmfi i E a M sew em mem mim New 1% I ENE mm b u f ur A notch orother shutment me an m v m w m mm i m m i & sm Y H b i.

throughsthe said 098 1 x Thebox blanhsiterit m ixigljy'isguided in its'descent by the here 18 which retsin the side walls 2 in substsntisliy uprightposition until the box contacts the intermediate table 14.

I is iormed in esch guide "st the proper'pcin tgso that the upperedges oi the side wsllsgot will engage the same when 1 the ho: the table I! andprevent itirum rising plunger; Theepdwalls oi-the box sre v serily supported, hen'ee ,in the descent'oi the p eiter it leaves the opening ll. the end more or less to their iniflsi-position relstiveb'to the hottomjsection I;

accomplish" this step I mount 0.

"ll 7 (Fig. '5) 0! suitable number in sio tsble 14. Each roller irictionsliy engsgess 11 above it. Theroliers," sre simuitsneomiy driven by the shstt smmmn thechnin Ilrthe i shaft ill-and the gesring ll connecting to thejsheft oithe said rollers. The rollers ll 55 are spring opposed to thicknesses of Arsecond set II, II, ismountedjin the hrsekets ll'csrried by ,the'tsbl'e ll. Esch oi'thenollers Ii irietionsliyengages s short spring opposed roller end the w roller "opposes thewrdi erll. The "is driven hyithe chain or belt whichis s by the shaft II. The ge'sring l 'l csus'es the roller lI-to-drivetherollersll,

Apusher II is slidsbly niounted'on the hue ll snd-csrries stits iorwsrdsidesdoynwsrdb bent plate It which,'.when-the m x w M m u e 1 h mmdwmmmmmm w W gm wm mw v mmmmmmmmw m mw vms. m mmmwm wmmm m s,1io,'ses

h sections on their suns (Figs 1, 2) carry'tolie'rs 40 (Fig 2) ispsed condition moves.

elm a ll,- the of, the usingythe end end-iorming-zsee-j The yokes it new? on oi-thehlsnk sndiiorces' the tojold on-the score contour oi the bottomfsection; toiormthep n l in a m fim plungerlcontectsjthel hot- H the feed tsblejl in-oi'der'thstr themschine toidvsrious 'sisesoi harem-"it being np-' of box requiress cone-m similnrly mes d; :its sidej'iscingjtheoperstor is removsbiy supported in snopeningll formed spending opening ll'throngh which it my be "*Iniorder that the corner sections v scoring. Benesthesch finger there is s, plung er'il which engsges'theiingersnd its'iower end The oppositesi w w m n U m mo m Mm mm m 20 at their upper ends which engage in the grooved thst the downward].-

i 1 0,1 11); which is .disposed'in'e' groove ss', formed in the piste I l'sndispivoted st one end therein. 'lh'eyopposite endoi' the iingerisbeyelled on its 7 I U i a in tree end is sodim sed um n towerd the am: peir wiilengegethecornereec'tion oi the hlsnkclose Mimi s1 7 70 to the'inner end of thedisgonsi scoring liinssid section; the finger being elined v with the ead V l 75 for stone end oi the opening um ends oi the g gers I and their operating are mounted on the standards 9| that are addustably mounted on the table I4. Each guide slopes downwardly on each side of its supporting standard and it is also bent or curved inwardly so that their forward ends are much nearer to each other than their opposite ends. These guides are adapted to be engaged by the end sections of the box as the box travels through the several rollers. The said end sections first travel up the inclined portion of the guides and in doing so are caused to fold inwardly. As they travel down the declined portion of the guides the tapering or converging guides cause the end sections to fold over onto the folded side sections of the box by the time the box has reached the last pair of rollers by which rollers the end sections are ironed flat and the folded box is delivered from the last pair of rollers onto a plate 92 (Fig. 5) that is secured to a rock shaft 93 and operatively connected to a convenient part of the machine. for oscillation so as to swing the box to a vertical position on edge on the carrier 94. 4

A lever 95 (Fig. 6) is pivoted to the main frame and its upper end is suitably pivotally connected to the pusher 88, as by engaging said end in a slot 98 in the pusher. A rod 91 is adjustably secured at one end to the lever 95 and its opposite end is connected to an eccentric 98 mounted on the shaft 53. The reciprocating rod 9'! causes the reciprocation of the pusher at the proper time.

The adjustableguards 99 assure that the box, now having its side sections folded over onto its bottom. section by the first pair of rollers, will pass under the second pair of rollers while the end sections are being turned upwardly by the des SI.

A simple form of die Hill is shown in Figs. 13, 14, which may be substituted for the die 58. In this form of die the plate llll is adapted'to seat in the opening is in the table 2! and the opening I02 is formed in said plate, the walls of the plate about the opening being sloped downwardly inwardly. The corner/between each two adjacent walls is not sloped downwardly but its top is flat.

and its side walls converge inwardly so as to form an abutment I03 that will engage the corner section of the box blank that rests on it and cause said section to fold inwardly as the plunger forces the blank through the opening ill in the die, the side flaps of the blank being received by the slots I04 in the die so that said flaps are not folded. This form of die-is much more simple than the die ll as it eliminates the pivoted finthe die I00 is used the guides 13 will be carried by the table top 2|.

What I claim is: v

1. A machine for folding boxes having foldable side walls and collapsible corner sections integral with said walls, comprising means to engage and turn the walls simultaneously perpendicularly to the plane'of the bottom or top wall of the box, means to engage the corner sections and cause them to fold inwardly as the walls move to break down the score lines of said sections and means to fold the turned walls inwardly and downwardly.

2. A machine for folding box blanks having foldable side walls and collapsible comer sections, and comprising a table having an opening in its top, the area of the opening corresponding to the area of the bottom or top of the box to be folded,

means to force the box blank through said opening for turning the side walls perpendicularly to the plane of the bottom or top wall of the box blank, means adjacent to each corner of'said opening adapted to engage the comer sections and cause them to fold inwardly as the blank passes through said opening, and means to subsequently fold said walls onto the bottom or top wall of the box.

-3. A machine for folding box blanks having foldable side walls and collapsible corner sections and comprising a feed table, a die supported by the table and having an opening therein corresponding in outline to the bottom forming or top forming wall of the blank, means to feed the blanks successively onto the die, a plunger to engage the bottom or top forming wall of the blank and force the blank through the said opening whereby'to turn upwardly the walls of said blank, a member at each corner of the opening to engage the corner sections and cause them to collapse inwardly as the blank is moved through said opening and means to fold the walls inwardly and downwardly.

4. A machine for folding box blanks having foldable side walls and diagonally scored comer sections integral with said walls and foldable thereon, and comprising means to engage and turn the side walls.perpendicularly to the plane of the top or bottom wall, means to engage the corner sections and cause said sections to initially fold inwardly on the side wall sections and to be collapsed on the diagonal score lines underthe influence of the turning movement of said walls, and means to fold said walls onto the top or bottom wall.

GEORGE LA. 

